Has zero chance of winning is the reason. Claiming to have a conscience looks nice on a headline.
100% this.
Might as well throw in the towel now than spend the next 10 months desperately trying to claw out some kind of position while everyone in the state wants to hang you. There’s just more opportunity to get clipped trying to defend the indefensible, meanwhile just sit out the storm and rebrand later has more chances of success.
Republican positions are going to be impossible to defend in that state, and in many other states as well. We need to all see this as a victory no matter what 3 ghosts did or did not visit this chump in the night.
He’ll let some other chod take the bullet and weasel out of the wood work when things look more favorable after some federal election interference.
True that
Boy, if our democracy survives this, I’ll bet Minnesota’s state-level GOP will be a mess and will need to do a lot of backpedaling. But worse for them: even having seen over the last decade how pathetically short-sighted and amnesic people are politically, I can’t foresee Minnesota ever forgiving the GOP nationally in my lifetime. They’ve burned this bridge badly. Wishful thinking, but I think this is how you create a solid blue state.
We’ve been a solid blue state since the '70s. And we’ve only voted Republican 3 times since 1932.
Our GOP is already pathetic and impotent. Our local Democrats (DFL) are already significantly more progressive and effective than the DNC.
But this is adding fuel to the fire in a big way, no doubt.
I wouldn’t call Minnesota a “solid blue state” right now by any metric except that both of your US Senators are Democratic.
- Your Senate is split 34–33 DFL–Republican and the House 65–67 (plus two vacant).
- Your progressive governor has caved to pressure over a nonsensical scandal not to run again, and despite the fact that he was on the ticket as the VP, the Harris–Walz ticket only beat Trump – an insane fascist – by 50.92–46.68%.
- Your representatives to the US House are split evenly between Democrats and Republicans.
Yep. The entire reason Trump and co. are even here is to push the state red by interfering with the election (hence their demands for voter rolls).
Those are great numbers to bandy about, but they’re different from being here and participating in the local politics.
Like many other blue states and many other places worldwide we’re suffering from a resurgence of right wing authoritarianism and political disenfranchisement.
But we’re actively fighting it, and winning. And doing far better than most other blue states.
We have a free school lunch program, we have excellent social programs, we have sanctuary status firmly in place for reproductive and trans rights.
Walz stepping back from the Governor seat is local politics inside the DFL. He’s been a lightning rod of hatred for our red/purple voters since COVID, and after being party to an honestly embarrassing loss on the national stage seems a good time to transfer power, despite his fantastic successes.
Okay, no, see, that’s all nice, and I’m glad you’re apparently doing well at a local level and fighting back against far-right authoritarianism. But words have meanings, and the numbers you can pretend all you want aren’t relevant don’t lie: you’re not even approximately a “solid blue state”.
- 2011: Senate 29–37 DFL–Republican; House 61–72
- 2013: Senate 39–28; House 62–72
- 2015: Senate 39–28; House 61–73
- 2017: Senate 32–34–1(V); House 55–75
- 2019: Senate 30–35–2(I); House 75–55–4(NR)
- 2021: Senate 31–34–2(I); House 69–59–4(NR)–1(IR)–1(I)
- 2023: Senate 34–33; House 69–64
- 2025: Senate 34–33; House 65–67–2(V)
This doesn’t even just apply at the state level. For example, Clinton beat Trump by only 1.5% in 2016.
Blue State has a generally accepted meaning of ‘votes blue in the presidential election’.
Doesn’t mean that 100% of our politics is democratic.
Are you arguing this for any particular reason?
Are you arguing this for any particular reason?
Because I think you completely missed the word “solid” or don’t understand what that means in terms of politics (nor do I think you fully understand what “blue state” means, because no, that doesn’t just apply to the presidential election, although that is a big part and is heavily correlated).
What state is bluer, by your measurement?
Sound like Washington. Our state GOP is basically just the craziest Trumpers you can imagine. Anyone with anyone even resembling a moderate position has found a home in the conservative wing of the Democrats (which, in fairness, is pretty fucking conservative).
If we were solid blue then the country side would also be voting blue but they don’t. Therefore we are a purple state.
The “color” of the state doesn’t matter if you’re not intending to hold elections again. Which I absolutely could see them attempting.
if our democracy survives this
I’m not so sure
It honestly feels like democracy is dead already and that to be trying to get back to what USA may have once been is a bad idea because the foundation is already rotted an corrupted.
Sadly I think people need to stop trying to fix what we had and create something new. And that would probably involve a lot of bloodshed and even then the new creation will already have people trying to infiltrate and corrupt it.
Honestly… Understanding chaos and how to live in it seems like the only truth alive.
trying to fix what we had and create something new
They don’t rule each other out, also you’ll never ever get a blank page to start with even if you write a constitution and a book of laws all from scratch. But i agree that going back will very likely lead to the situation you have now.
Honestly… Understanding chaos and how to live in it seems like the only truth alive.
On an individual level i think this is the only way, you have to play the cards you’re dealt whether you like it or not. But please don’t just sit back and take it, you deserve better than that.
But didn’t drop out of the party. Not in 2016 and not now. That tells me all I need to know.
Yeah, I wouldn’t want to try and defend this, either.
Rats on a sinking ship, nothing more.
“Earlier this month, Madel said he helped ICE agent Jonathan Ross with paperwork to get Justice Department legal representation if he is sued or charged with a crime.”
What’s different about this one, you disingenuous piece of shit?
She was an unarmed queer woman. Not even remotely part of the Republikkkan tribe.
I appreciate your use of the word queer. I keep wondering why people keep calling her a lesbian. She had a husband before she had a wife, doesn’t that make her bisexual?
Conservative “news” keeps calling her a lesbian because it’s easier to downplay her death. Their viewers are homophobic so it works on them, but the left should be using the proper terms.
There’s even less of a flimsy explanation for this one than Renee’s case. It’s absurd to imply she was attempting to run him over, but she was still behind the wheel of something that could kill Ross. Alex never once even put his hand to his gun, and they didn’t even kill him until he was disarmed
In what sense is murdering Americans in their own streets “immigration enforcement”? That phrase itself is propaganda.
We are absolutely fucking swimming in propaganda in the US, always have been.
A lot of us know it too, it just melts off the brains of anyone who still has one at this point.
This gives me hope, this is the only thing that can stop this momentum, having the middle management of GOP get hollowed out.
This could be the first nail in the coffin. GOP has always been pro rich people but unless your oligarch level rich, you want peace in your streets.
The entire reason why we got here is that neoliberal centrists clutched their pearls at the thought of taxes so kept siding with fascists.
Fascism can only succeed if it fools the liberals before they take total control, looks like they are getting ahead of themselves, probably cause the orange’s shelf life.
“Earlier this month, Madel said he helped ICE agent Jonathan Ross with paperwork to get Justice Department legal representation if he is sued or charged with a crime.”
Really curious what the timeline on this was. I would like to assume it was after, which is still abhorrent and immoral.
Get that Somali mayoral candidate to run for gov. Walz announced he isn’t running.
The Republicans are gonna find out what revolution means.
Or maybe stay in the race so that whoever gets elected will fight against ICE
Didn’t Walz drop out earlier too? Do they have any candidates for governor?
Like 10 others on the Republican side have declared, 1 has on the Democrats side and Amy Klobuchar has filed paperwork, but not declared yet.
Were pre primary so people dropping out doesn’t mean a lot unless they are the incumbent like Walz.
If this all ended tomorrow, by election time people will have forgotten.
You, maybe. Not everyone.
Funny you should say that, though, because the government shutdown ended months ago and I STILL haven’t forgiven Schumer and the eight motherfuckers that ended it right when they were starting to get traction. And I kind of suspect I never will. I made a point of remembering their names, and the fact that Jeanne Shaheen of NH made it clear, in those words, that Chuck Schumer was kept notified throughout. When I see their names, I remember.
Similarly, I will always remember the name of Jonathan Ross as cursed, and the names of Renee Good and Alex Pretti as those who were brutally murdered in cold blood by sociopaths cheerfully getting paid to play The Most Dangerous Game (it’s a very old movie ref) for the crime of caring about their fellow Minnesotans.
You can change my mind, or try, but I’ve kept powerful grudges for far less. I don’t carry many, I’d rather forgive where I can, but these infamies will never die for me until they have been fully addressed to my own satisfaction, and that’s a line that I draw for myself. You don’t get to draw it for me. No one does.
And I’m not alone. Lines have been crossed now that have never been crossed before.
Not all of us have the memory of gerbils.
Most do otherwise we wouldn’t be so fucked.
